1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to the field of surgical cutting of cutaneous specimens. More specifically, the present invention disclosed herein is an improved version of a biopsy shaver with unique advantages.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Several years ago, the razor blade was introduced as an alternative device for performing shave removal and/or biopsy of skin lesions. Though inexpensive and readily available, the razor blade is somewhat cumbersome to use and poses a risk for accidental injury to the practitioner. Herein, the disclosed invention is an improved modification of this procedure utilizing an innovative adaptor designed to facilitate the safe and effective use of the razor blade in dermatologic practice.
For many years, the razor blade has been a commonly employed device for obtaining skin specimens. One of the earliest reports of the razor blade biopsy technique was in 1936, when Buhmann utilized the razor blade to secure superficial cutaneous samples for the purpose of researching epidermal metabolism. Since this time, several practitioners have commented on the versatility of this instrument. Razor blades have been utilized in curettage devices, e.g., Razor Curette, as well as for the purpose of obtaining epidermal specimens for examining hyphae and dermal specimens to obtain fibroblasts for culture.
Besides its wide array of adaptable uses, the razor blade has several other advantages. Shelly W., describes some of these in his evaluation of the razor blade's role in dermatologic practice. He notes that the razor blade served as a precise way in which to obtain cutaneous specimens in a simple and cost effective manner. He further acknowledges the razor blade's superior cutting edge to that of a scalpel blade and the ease in which one can perform multiple and serial biopsies. Finally, Shelly comments on the advantages of the blade being readily flexible, disposable and its ability to remove in total, a wide array of lesions such as bullae or nevi that may occur in areas hard to access, e.g., scrotum, interdigital web, concha.
The disadvantages of the typical razor blade is that there are several features inherent to the device which make it less attractive. Though flexible in nature, the razor blade is often cumbersome for the practitioner to use. The sharp edges of the blade as well as the limited contact of the forefinger and thumb with the side blade make biopsy procedures uncomfortable to perform and sometimes difficult. Thus, the practitioner may feel somewhat awkward with this device and endure a risk of accidental injury, especially if he or she has limited experience or suffers from certain rheumatologic or neurologic conditions, e.g. practitioners with arthritis who routinely perform skin biopsies. Blade breakage, unintentional or intentional, can also be a cause of injury, e.g. laceration, bleeding. The intentional breakage of one blade to obtain two cutting blade edges can be a difficult and time consuming chore. Finally, the razor blade can be a less professional appearing and more intimidating way of performing biopsies, especially in the case of young children or those who are afraid of instruments that readily appear sharp.
One approach provided for has been in the art of Hartlaub of U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,295 wherein the abstract illustrates "A surgical cutting tool that may be used in cutting away protuberances from the skin of an individual includes a thin flexible blade including two side margins and a front margin which is keen-edged, and two finger grips which each include an engagement surface affixed to and extending along one side margin of the blade, and an outwardly facing griping surface so that the tool can be held by the finger grips and thereby safely, easily and comfortably bent into an arcuate shape for cutting by bringing the finger grips closer together. Preferably each gripping surface forms a rounded notch conforming in approximate shape to a finger. The gripping surface forming the notch may include gripping protrusions which enable a user's fingers to grip the tool by the finger grips firmly. The toll preferably includes a sheath-like guard formed from flexible material which is affixed to and extends along and covers a rear margin of the blade between the finger grips. Although the guard protects a user of the tool from the keen-edged blade rear margin, the flexible material from which it is formed allows the user to bend the blade without substantial resistance from the guard." A shortcoming to this approach is that when the user applies pressure to the finger grips, the blade can bend or flex in either an upwards or downwards fashion. The user must use an additional finger to apply pressure to the top center of the blade to make sure that the blade is bent in a downward fashion, thus increasing the level of operating difficulty.
While some of the prior arts contain similarities of the invention disclose herein, none of them teach or suggest all of the advantages of the present invention.